Editor's Note: Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #4 arrives in stores tomorrow, November 4.

"The New World According To Peter Parker"

Ultimate Spider-Man #4 sees the book take something of a break from its larger storyline involving Ultimate Mysterio, instead using most of its pages to move the personal lives of the book's characters forwards. Most superhero books probably couldn't get away with spending so much time focusing on the out-of-costume antics of its main players, but the characters of Ultimate Spider-Man are well developed and interesting enough that the soap-opera of their inter-personal relationships is just as compelling as the villain-of-the-month plot.

That's not to say that there's no action, however, as the closing pages of the issue serve up a fight between Spider-Man and a surprise guest-star who was last seen in the previous volume's Ultimatum crossover story. It's a great action sequence, with big, bold choreography that succeeds thanks to some great artwork from David Lafuente. It's interesting to see how Lafuente's depiction of Spidey is evolving the more he works on the book: during this issue's climactic fight sequence, I can't help but detect a John Romita Jr. influence on the artist. The splashpage in which Spidey faces down the issue's special guest star and the subsequent action sequence both show JR Jr.-esque touches in Lafuente's take on the character, and that should go some way to appease those critics who have been unhappy with the artist's more cartoony take on Spidey in previous issues.

Other aspects of Lafuente's artwork seem to be evolving, too. There seems to be a higher level of detail apparent here than in previous issues, with thinner lines and a more delicate inking approach creating a slightly softer look for the book. Lafuente's approach to characters' bodies and faces is slightly less exaggerated than previous issues, too, and this helps to ground the more mundane everyday scenes--such as MJ's misadventures at the mall, or the Parker household dinner table--in a more relatable reality, without sacrificing the artist's distinctive style too much. As with the first few issues of this relaunched title, a lot of the feeling of freshness comes from Lafuente's unique, dynamic artwork, and I wouldn't want to see its more distinctive qualities compromised.

It's not just the art that makes this book enjoyable, however. Brian Michael Bendis weaves several interesting subplots into his overarching super-villain story, whether it's the mystery of the new, red-costumed superhero (is he the Ultimate Hood or the Ultimate Shroud? Bendis has some fun teasing readers with some dialogue from Mary Jane), the enjoyable soap-opera of Johnny Storm's new status quo (a nod to the original "secret identity" status quo of the Human Torch in his early Strange Tales solo adventures?), or the ongoing romantic love-triangles that the book has always handled so well, with Mary Jane's sad realisation that breaking up with Peter may have been a mistake hitting the character particularly hard. There are also plenty of fun small moments, such as the awkwardness between MJ and her manager once his intentions become clear, or the bait-and-switch as she is rescued from a would-be abductor by her very own superhero protector--but not the one that you might expect.

There's no question that Ultimate Spider-Man is one of the better superhero books currently being produced. The book isn't trying to reinvent the wheel of the genre, but is putting together the traditional elements of classic superhero stories in an unashamedly straightforward, gimmick-free manner. There's none of the popular cynicism that's present in so many other superhero titles, and there are no "shocking" moments other than the surprises and plot twists that grow naturally and organically out of Bendis's setup. As I said in my recent review of Ultimate Comics Avengers #3, I think that, after being exposed to so much darkness and gritty realism in recent years, the readership of superhero comics might again be ready for a lighter, brighter, more optimistic approach to the genre--and Ultimate Spider-Man fits the bill perfectly.

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